Push, Push, PUSH!

"Focus! Don't cry!" 

"Push it out!!!"

"Just one more time, one more time! It's coming out already!!! C'mon PUSH!!!!!"

If you thought I was describing my birth story, well not quite. This was actually me, using my big voice in the toilet of our home.

You see, my girl has always suffered from constipation (unfortunately, she got that from me). No matter how many fruits she eat or water she drinks, she'll only do the big one about once in 3 days. Major bummer. Not surprisingly, she doesn't like to poop as it's always a big undertaking! Even when she has the feeling, she will try to endure and not go to the toilet for fear that it's painful.

Constipation is such a pain!

We always have to be aware of when she needs to poop as she likes to hide the fact that she does. And after I've caught her red-handed, I'll have to lug her to the toilet and force her to poop!

"Focus! Push!"

Now I understand why the nurses at the delivery suite said the exact same words to me!

It was like deja vu (-_-").

These days we have been using positive reinforcement to get her to go and poop willingly, i.e. giving her a sweet after every successful attempt. So far it is working. Hopefully we never have to force her to poop ever again.. *cross fingers*

A Day Out to Health Promotion Board & ToofDoctor

My girl's school was closed last week on Teacher's Day as the principal was bringing all the teachers for a little retreat (they fully deserve it!), so I took leave to spend quality time with my girl.

I wanted to bring her somewhere nearby that had a playground, won't be crawling with millions of kids and relatively cheap. Straight away, the Health Zone at the Health Promotion Board came to mind! It was nearby and the entrance fees were only $3/adult and $1.50/child, pretty reasonable I thought.

It turned out to be more fun than I had expected.

Mini-playground

Fun games and rock-climbing

Test your strength!

Exercise bicycles for adults to exercise while the kids played

How fast can you climb the stairs?

Super huge set of teeth!

Don't forget to take care of your emotional health too!

It was really educational and we all had fun but my girl was still most interested in the playground, where she spent most of the morning until it was time for lunch.

After lunch, I brought my girl for her dental appointment at ToofDoctor (Cantonment). Her dentist patiently explained to her how the different tools worked and cleaned her teeth while she took it all like a champ!

Letting her touch the tools so that she won't be afraid of them

The dentist cleaning her teeth

I credit her awesome performance to her previous visit to the dentist and the Dora book on how Dora had an enjoyable experience at the dentist.

She was so proud of herself for being so brave! That's my girl =)

I had an awesome day with my girl, which I truly treasure because as a full-time working mother, this does not happen very often =)

~~~~~~

This post is part of my MadPsychMum Fun in Singapore Guide to all things exciting for kids! 

Check out other fun playgrounds and attractions in Singapore! =)

You can also follow us on Instagram or join us by using our hashtag #mpmfuninsg! 

Our Big Announcement!

Finally..

I've been keeping this secret for a while now as I wanted to confirm it at the doctor's before making the announcement.. although the hubby went ahead and stole my thunder on Facebook anyway (-_-").

As you know we have been trying for baby #2 since November last year and haven't had much luck in the beginning. During our trip to Seoul last April, the hubby gave an offering to the World Largest Church with full faith that his request for a baby boy would be granted.

And what do you know? Faith moved the hand of God! =)

I realised that I had missed my period about 4 days after our trip so I waited for a few more days before I finally took a pregnancy test.

I peed on a stick and it was positive!

I couldn't believe it! We were finally expecting! ^_^

But then the excitement wore off as I soon found out that being a pregnant working mum is TOUGH!! T_T

My previous pregnancy was when I was studying my masters so I had no idea how bad getting up to go to work everyday while battling nausea and giddiness was! To make matters worse, I couldn't tell most people except my close colleagues how I felt so I had to pretend everything was alright when in actual fact, it was not! Not at all!

I felt nauseous like ALL. THE. TIME. I had no relieve from it, except for when I was eating something appetising or drinking lemon grass tea (really helped). Although I did not vomit, there were days when I nearly couldn't go on working anymore as I couldn't concentrate on what I was doing. Needless to say, bus rides were HORRENDOUS for me!

The only thing that got me through the day was this:
Ironically, the worse the nausea is, the stronger the signal to you that your baby is in there, alive and well. So I'll endure any nausea, if that meant that my baby was well.

And by the grace of God, he (or she) is! =)

Girlee holding up our 1st ultrasound scan of Baby #2

Girlee was really excited seeing her little brother/sister for the first time on the ultrasound! I'm also excited to find out that our good friends JK will be expecting their bundle of joy around the same time as us so I'll have someone to moan to and our kids will have each other to play with! I'm sooo looking forward to it! ^_^

In the meantime however, I'll have to learn long suffering while I patiently wait for this stage to pass! Please pray for me! T_T


P.S: Pardon the ranting. My body is making a living human being and I'm soaked in all sort of weird hormones. I'm totally allowed to rant :P

The Ultimate Overnight Drypers DryPantz Test

Drypers sent us a whole box of Drypers DryPantz to try out since for nearly 3 years of diapering, we have not tried Drypers before (shocking, I know).

Carton-load of Drypers DryPantz

As the new and improved Drypers DryPantz (for 6 months and up) has been touted as being able to provide long-lasting dryness, I wanted to try them on my girl for the nights. The mum-in-law was skeptical; she was of the opinion that no diaper-pant can last as long as regular diapers for nights as it will definitely leak.

And bearing in mind that my girl has soaked through every diaper-pant she has had on throughout the night, Drypers DryPantz has its work cut out for it. Besides, there was no way that I would get up and change my girl's diapers mid-way through my precious sleep so they had better pass Our Overnight Test!

First up, getting the Pantz on! =)

Back (left) and Front (right)

It's really intuitive to put on too. Backside of the elephant is the back, face of the elephant is the front. Easy.

Wearing her XXL Drypers DryPantz

Next, getting my girl to wear her Drypers DryPantz overnight for 3 nights in a row. When we checked her diapers the morning after, surprise, surprise.. her diapers had not leaked at all! This was due mainly to Activ-Core that helps to quickly absorb urine and prevent flow-back and the interlocking fibres that help to drive urine into the core in order to keep the butt dry and comfortable.

Greater comfort was also provided by a snug and soft waist elastic, Flexi-Fit, which helps to give greater mobility for my active toddler who enjoys tossing and turning in her sleep. I had previously never used Drypers as I had heard that it was not very comfortable but it turned out that they were even more comfortable than the brand of diapers that we were currently using.

Taking into consideration that my girl only drinks a bottle of milk before she sleeps (it might be different if your child drinks more before bedtime), overall, I'm still pretty impressed =)

Test it out for yourself and see if it works for you too! You can get FREE samples from Drypers here! =)


Disclosure: This is Part 1 of a series of sponsored stories on behalf of Drypers Singapore. All opinions are my own.

Of Potties, Love & Self Esteem

Taken with my iPhone, apologies for the blur image!

My girl has reached that age where she's too innocent to be cheeky but yet also too smart to be considered completely innocent. Some of the things she does, I'm not even sure if it was intentional to drive us crazy or because she really didn't know better. Most probably the former *laughs*

Potty

Three days of constipation later...

Girlee: "See mummy!!"
Me (lying on the bed): "What?"
Girlee (shoves a potty full of poop within 5 inches of my face and beams proudly): "I poo poo already!!!" *super exuberance*
Me: "Oh my God! What the hell!!!" *gags*

It's times like this when you seriously don't know whether to be relieved or traumatized.. >_<


Love

Girlee: "I love you daddy.. sooo much!"
Hubby: "How much?"
Girlee: "1, 2, 3, 4, 5..."
Me: "Liddat only ah?"


Self-Esteem

Girlee (proudly): "Mummy, I pretty not?"
Me: "Always pretty!"
Girlee (shouts to 奶奶/ paternal grandmother): "Mummy says I'm pretty!"

The next day..

奶奶: "I pretty or not?"
Girlee: "Always pretty!"

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My Arduous Journey to Wisdom Teeth Extraction

Warning: This post contains bloody images which may be harmful to readers with haemophobia or allergies to the thought of tooth-extraction. The experiences of the author may also not be the same for everyone. Reader's discretion is advised.

Hooray! I've finally removed ALL 4 of my wisdom teeth! Soooo proud of myself *grin*

It was such a difficult process that I just had to rant about it so bear with me.

It all started with my visit to my periodontitist. As my dentist looked at the x-ray of my teeth, he told me that I needed to remove my 2 bottom wisdom teeth as they're growing horizontally (instead of vertically) and are thus trapping food which may eventually cause an infection. And since I'm taking out the 2 problematic bottom teeth, I might as get rid of the 2 top ones as well.

I decided that I might as well get rid of all of them before they caused me even greater pain in future. So after seeing a dental surgeon, who explained to me my options and the risks involved, I decided to remove 2 at a time under local anaesthesia (LA).

When the day came for me to remove the 2 wisdom teeth on my left side, I was understandably very nervous. I put my stuff in the locker, don the gown and proceeded to speak with the surgeon. As usual, the surgeon was all "Any drug allergies? Do you know there's a 5% chance of permanent numbness? Blah, blah, blah.. Please sign here."

As he spoke, I got more and more nervous. And then it was time. As I lay on the chair, I whispered a million more prayers in my head and then opened my mouth for the anaesthesia injections.

The thing about LA is, you won't feel the pain but you will feel the drilling, the tugging and everything else! They covered my face (except for the mouth of course!) and my upper body so that I wouldn't get splashed with blood or get scared.

As my bottom wisdom tooth is hidden underneath my gums, the surgeon had to cut open my gums and drill the tooth into 3 before removing it. That took approximately 15 minutes but felt like forever! When he was finally done, he said, "ok now I'm taking out the top one" and literally it was like tug, tug, crack and it was out. In just 1 minute. Why can't it be the same for both teeth? *sigh*

After removal of my left wisdom teeth

I went home and suffered immense pain and swelling in lower gums because 1) I talked too much and 2) my body did not respond at all to the pain medications that I was given.

But it was well worth it because now it is so much easier to clean my set of teeth, especially the back. So although I'm really not looking forward to it, I set up an appointment to remove the other 2.

The second time around, my surgeon was female who was straight to the point and told me point-blank that the right bottom tooth is located very near the nerve so I will definitely experience numbness at my lower lip. "It would be a miracle if you didn't" she said. Obviously I became extremely nervous but decided to trust the Lord and go ahead with the surgery.

As she was drilling my tooth, I pictured my girl saying "I love you mama" over and over again in my mind so that I won't be scared. "I'm doing this for you baby girl," I thought to myself.

Apparently everyone is very interested to see what the nerve looks like so all the nurses and students gathered round excitedly. "There it is, that is the nerve!" my surgeon announced after extracting my bottom tooth after what seemed like forever.

And just like that, it was done.

After removal of my right wisdom teeth

This time I made sure that I got even stronger pain medication from the doctor and didn't talk so much. The swelling wasn't as bad as the previous time and when the anaesthesia faded, I touched my lower lip and there was no numbness! It was a miracle! =)

I'm truly glad that it's all over! Thank you Jesus for your grace and for an uneventful recovery =)

Linking Up With:

Defense Against the Dark Mozzie

We live in a tropical country so it's extremely common place to find mosquitoes everywhere, sucking up blood and spreading diseases like the little hateful pests they are. Everyone hates them but there are those who hate them more than others and I'm one of them.

I have skin that is allergic to mosquito bites so whenever I get bitten, the bite-site can stay red and swollen for weeks and even leave a scar behind. Plus mosquitoes really like my blood so I can get like 5 bites on each limb making that a total of 20 bites at one go in just 1 hour. I've got bites all over my body even in places that the sun don't shine (literally). So when I say I hate mosquitoes, I really hate mosquitoes with a vengence!

And it just so happens that baby girl had to inherit the same sensitive skin I have and maybe even worse!

All swollen due to 2 mosquito bites on both hands
(One time she had a lot more bites on her legs and feet which swelled up even worse)

In the light of the increase in dengue fever cases this season, you should protect yourself and your family with these tips that I myself found useful.

1) Ensure There's No Stagnant Water in Your Home

Credits: dengue.gov.sg

We all know that mosquitoes can only breed in stagnant water so this is important in making sure that they are unable to do so. Follow this Dengue Prevention Checklist to ensure your home is protected! Besides your family, your neighbours will thank you as well =)

2) Mosquito Repellent
You just can't depend on everybody to do Step #1 so you've gotta go one step further. Putting on repellent may seem like common sense but many of us often don't do it simply because it is too inconvenient. I can definitely attest to that! Also, the adult repellents tend to be very sticky and unpleasant on the skin, which makes us even less motivated to apply it.

After receiving a bottle of repellent meant for children after baby girl was born, I found out that it really wasn't as sticky as the adult version!

Kid-friendly mosquito repellent

I used it myself and have to say it works 90% of the time (the other 10% is usually because I don't lather up enough).

If you're too lazy to lather yourself up each time you leave the house, then a faster alternative is the mosquito patch!

Mosquito repellent patch

The patch works by emitting a lemongrass scent that mosquitoes hate and avoid. So all you need to do is paste it onto your clothes and viola, you'll be defended.

Baby girl's go-to mode of mosquito defense these days

It's slightly more pricey because it costs 50 cents a sticker but as it can last for at least 2 days (we tested it that's how we know) so it is still value for money. However, aside from the price, the scent from the sticker can be irksome to some people so if you're not okay with the smell, it might be better for you to get the odorless liquid one instead.

3) Homemade Mosquito Repellent

Credits: ehow.com

For those of you who (seriously have too much time on your hands and) prefer to DIY your own organic repellent, check out these 4 cheap and easy homemade repellent recipes. Google 'homemade mosquito repellent' and you can find many more recipes from where that came from. Let me know if it works and I might just try it too =)

4) A Stockpile of Cream for Bites
If unfortunately for some reason you still got bitten, then make sure you have the 'antidote' ready in your house at all times.

Betopic cream & Gentrisone cream for morning & night applications respectively

We got these from a friendly elderly doctor in our neighbourhood. I'm not sure if you can purchase them over the counter but they're really effective. The night cream especially, can reduce the swelling dramatically after it's applied the night before.

As my mum is a nurse, I'm intending to load up on these as much as possible just in case (I'm kiasu that way).

How do you protect yourself/your child from getting bitten by mosquitoes?

A Real Wordless Wednesday, Literally

You can see why I can't really talk.

1st time extracting 2 wisdom teeth

It looked like I took out more because they had to drill and break the bottom one into 3 in order to pull it out 'cos it was growing sideways. It's all the cutting and drilling that caused such a swell on my face. Not that I'm letting it stop me from talking though, I'm such a chatterbox.

But since it really worsens the swelling a lot, I'm trying very hard not to talk much today. Let's see if I'd succeed... *sigh*

I hope you'll have a better recovery than me when you extract your widom teeth =)

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Life is All About the Mundane

It's one of those days where I'm feeling a little bored and have nothing interesting to blog about so I thought I will write about my ordinary life even though probably no one even cares about but I'll do it anyway since life is all about the mundane (ok, I think I just got lost in this sentence..). Anyway..

Mundane Fact #1: There's a Lizard in My Toilet

A baby lizard has recently decided to take residence in my toilet and will scoot to hide whenever anyone opens the toilet door. I wanted to add a picture of it here but even looking at the pictures on the internet creeps me out so I shall spare you (and myself) from its ugliness.

So why are we even allowing it to live there? Granted that I absolutely hate lizards and will almost always insist on its destruction, if not removal, but then I remember that lizards devour annoying insects like ants and most importantly, my sworn enemy the mosquito! So I suppose it couldn't hurt to let it live there for a while.. but wait a minute, what if it grows into a big giant lizard?! And breeds?! Or dies?! *Ewwwwww*

There is only one person to call in a situation like this........ "M U M M Y !"

Mundane Fact #2: Finding a Preschool is a Pain in the Ass

Wearing her bag given by her paternal grandmother

Baby girl looking like she's going off to school soon only serves as a reminder of how much I dread hunting for a preschool for her. Choosing a preschool nowadays ain't the same anymore. You gotta to find out about the curriculum, the qualifications of the teachers, the teacher to student ratio, etc. And after narrowing down your options, you still have to put your kid on the waiting list for at least a year! *sigh*

What's worse than choosing a preschool for your kid?

Choosing a primary school. Totally not looking forward to it at all -_-"

Mundane Fact #3: Engorgement is No Fun

In the course of her flu and cough, baby girl developed an erratic appetite which translated into her wanting only breast milk one day (while totally rejecting formula) and totally rejecting it the next. As a result, I've had to suffer engorged boobs with milk almost bursting out and getting no sympathy whatsoever from the hubby (-_-). Thankfully, she woke up the next morning in a great mood for mummy's milk thereby ending my discomfort.

I don't know what's worse, engorgement or the fact that no one gives a damn =(

Mundane Fact #4: Tip on Frizz Removal Actually Works

I learnt this trick while watching 'Tips & Tricks' on Style (Channel 442). Instead of tackling the frizz (you know, the bits and pieces of straying cotton on clothes after many washes) with my bare hands like I used to do, I tried using a disposable razor as advised.

Disposable razor to remove frizz

And you know what? It worked! Girlee's dress looks as good as new =)

Yeah, life at home is pretty mundane but I'll probably miss it once I start working (which is soon I hope!). Can't wait for the many Christmas parties and gatherings coming up!

The Necessary Evil (II): Periodontitis Treatment

Warning: This post contains expressions of grossness, incoherence and irritability as the author is writing under the influence of fading anaesthesia. Reader's discretion is advised.

If you're like me and don't floss your teeth like ever (until I turned over a new leaf last year), you might have a disease that you might not even know you have, Periodontitis. I mentioned in my previous post that my gum disease required super hard-core cleaning (i.e. pulling back your gums and digging the dirt out!) and thankfully under local anaesthesia (which totally explains the above warning).

I was late for my appointment because apparently my baby decided today would be a good day to wake mummy up at 5.30am for her feeds and then mummy couldn't go back to sleep till an hour later and ended up oversleeping (-_-"). Dr Alex (my dentist) wasn't too pleased of course, but he still decided to start the treatment even though I was a face of crankiness and only replied in grunts and nods (I'm really not a morning person).

Before starting treatment, Dr Alex injected anaesthesia directly into my gums.

Credits: sciencephoto.com

It is as painful as it sounds.. Ouch! And he injected me like a zillion times I think. *Sigh*

Once he is sure I'm suitably anaesthetized, he proceeded on to stripping my gums back and then scrapping and scaling the teeth that is hidden under my gums. Although I didn't feel any pain during the procedure, I did feel a lot of prodding and scrapping. I thought I was going to faint, what with the light shining into my eyes and water/blood accumulating in my mouth.

Dr Alex: Open your mouth... how are you doing?
Me: Ugh.
Dr Alex: I don't understand, does that mean you're ok?
Me (slight nod): Ess ('yes')

Seriously, how does he expect me to respond when half my mouth is numb, I've got tubes in my mouth and I have to open my mouth wide?!

(Sorry, Dr Alex. I don't think you're reading this but in case you happened to stumble upon this, I'm still feeling pain in my gums so forgive me..)

The whole thing took only 30 minutes but it felt like 30 hours to me! I thought it would never end! So after the final procedure of polishing of teeth, when he said the magic words, "ok we're done!", I was so relieved that it was finally over (yes, I totally forgot I have to suffer with the pain once the anaesthesia wears off).

Except that it wasn't over. I still have to come back one more time to clean the other side and remove my wisdom teeth. Sigh..

The thing is, if I don't get it treated, I'll really lose my teeth one by one. No teeth or treat gums? I really don't have a choice here.

If you thought this was really horrifying and never want to go through the same experience, well I have good news for you: you don't have to.

All you have to do is follow three simple steps:
(1) Brush before you sleep
(2) Floss your teeth (the more your gums bleed, the deeper you need to floss)
(3) Visit your dentist every 6 months

Do the same for your kids. Or they'll end up like me. Suffering.. (Owww..)

Schedule a dentist appointment for you and your child. Go do it. Now!

Have you liked MadPsychMum on facebook?

Cleebo by Sophie & Friends

When Sophie & Friends first contacted me to do a review on their new product, I was excited. It was a device that helped you get rid of the "gold" in your baby's nose.

Credits: opus-innovations.com

If your baby is like my baby, he/she will have lots of it. And I used to dig 'em out using my little pinkie (which failed miserably), cotton buds and just about anything I can get my hands on that is small enough to get in. But none of them worked (and some may even cause her immense pain)!

I was very happy to try out the "gold-diggin" device also known as Cleebo, which has been developed by Opus Innovation Limited.

Girlee is curious with the newly-arrived Cleebo

The packaging caught my eye immediately. And so did Girlee. The different coloured tips are meant to give your child a choice of colour before engaging in the all-important task of "gold-digging".

Cleebo = like a tweezer but with soft tips

But before I could try out the product, there must be something that required digging doesn't it? So I waited a few days before I finally spotted the "gold". Time to pull out the big-guns!

According to the instructions, there are three ways one can use the Cleebo:
Option 1: Use as conventional tweezers
Option 2: Close both tips together & use with a dragging action, similar to using a cotton bud
Option 3: Pull tweezers wide apart and use one side only as noted in ‘Option 2’ above. This method is effective for tiny nostrils. Should the tweezer tips remain too far apart, pinch the tweezers immediately above the ‘circle’ between the thumb and the forefinger and squeeze to reduce the gap as required.

As I was a novice, thought I would try out the conventional tweezing method as that made the most sense to me.

My baby was extremely wary of anything sticking up her nose as expected possibly due to the many nightmares she has had of me prodding all sort of stuff into it. After much struggling, I managed to hold her down long enough to test it.

Using the Cleebo on my struggling baby

As you can see, she soon realised that there was nothing scary about the Cleebo. The soft tips didn't hurt her and it got the job done in 5 seconds (sans the 1 minute of struggling to get the Cleebo in).

They should've sent this product to me months ago! Could have saved me from all that struggling and nightmares! *laughs*

If you buy Cleebo from Sophie & Friends now, they would even donate S$3.58 to the Japanese Red Cross Society. Not only do you get a product that helps you and your baby, you get to help others too. Perfect! =)


Disclosure: A complimentary Cleebo was received from Sophie & Friends for the purposes of this review. No monetary compensation was received; all opinions are my own.

7 Things You Didn't Know About Our MRT



My handsome brother in the Singapore Police Force

Recently my handsome brother completed the Basic Police Training Course as part of his National Service to our country and was posted to the Public Transport Security Command (PTSC) unit of the Singapore Police Force (proud of you bro!).

Showing off his certificate in the MRT

Only about 5-10% of all cases handled by the PTSC are related to terrorism (thank God that they are always on the lookout for potential shady characters!) while the other 90-95% of the cases are mostly civilian affairs like outrage of modesty and complain-y auntie types (you know who I'm talking about).

Anyway, he recently told me some interesting stuff about our Mass Rapid Tranport (MRT) system that I never knew for all the 20 over years I have been taking the trains.

So I have asked my brother to kindly send me the information for me to write up and here you go!

7 Things You Didn't Know About Our MRT

#1: There are a million cameras covering 99.99% of every train station and train in Singapore

Credits: stomp.com.sg

So if you think you can scratch your butt, dig your nose or take someone's wallet from their bag and no one will know, you got something else coming! The zillions of cameras that officers (such as my brother) have to monitor can track your every move from the time you enter one station to the time you leave another. The cameras even have the power to zoom in to your face so you can forget about pretending that you're not Shady-character-X-who-just-pickpocketed-at-Station-Y.

If you commit a crime on the MRT (or somewhere else for that matter but flee using the MRT system), you can be sure the police will be there at your destination with handcuffs in their hands ready to take you down. True story!

It does not pay to commit crime. Especially in the MRT. So don't do it!

#2: It is not against the law if someone doesn't give up the Priority Seat

Take for example this scenario: Young man sits in Priority Seat. Pretends to sleep. Old complain-y auntie (OCA) with limp and carrying fat baby glares at him. Said young man continues 'sleeping'. OCA complains to police officer standing nearby. Police officer tells her nicely, "sorry, this is not against the law. I can't do anything."
This scenario happens more often than you think. Seriously, it's better for you to record the whole thing and upload it to Stomp/facebook/twitter than to approach the police. Leave it to societal pressures to do the job.

Credits: dennoir

Perhaps we should also have something like the above spoof created to poke fun at inconsiderate folks.

#3: On the contrary, the following ARE against the law:

• Bringing prohibited luggage or other items: Fine $500
• Bringing animals (even hamsters): Fine $500
• Throwing items into the railway tracks: Fine $1000
• Non-compliance with instructions: Fine $500
• Entering or remaining in train when it is full: Fine $500
• Consumption of food or drinks (including mineral water): Fine $500
• Spitting, littering or soiling: Fine $5000
• Causing nuisance: Fine $500
• Loitering (e.g. when waiting for friends to arrive): Fine $500
• Interference with doors or operation of doors (i.e. standing holding onto the doors to prevent it from closing): Fine $1000
• Transferring goods between paid and unpaid areas without going through the gates (e.g. friend A passes a box to friend B over the barrier): Fine $2000
• Damaging a ticket: Fine $5000
• Failure to pay or produce a ticket: Fine $1000

#4: During peak hours, take the next train if the first is too full

Credits: theonlinecitizen.com

The next one is usually just 2 minutes away and may even be empty if its coming from the depot in order to cope with the large crowd of commuters. Don't be like one of those Kiasu (Singaporean slang for "scared to lose") uncles who run like crazy to squeeze into a train that is already packed like sardines, only to be slammed by the doors. Besides, it is against the law (see point #3)!

Crowded trains also increase the likelihood that you will meet with a case of outrage of modesty (OM cases as the police likes to call it) or a fight with another angry commuter. For example, there was a case where two men fought with each other in a space of only 5cm between them. Why? Because they were in each other's space -_-

#5: The job of the MRT police officers is NOT to give directions

You cannot imagine the countless number of people asking patrolling officers for directions to so-and-so location. Please don't.

#6: Dressing like a shady character carrying a big black bag will definitely get you stopped by a security personnel

Duh! It would be a miracle if you could walk through the gates without getting stopped. So bring a small bag as far as possible.

#7: Finally, doing the following could possibly save your life if you fell into the MRT tracks by accident

• Don't panic
• If there is no incoming train, ask someone to press the emergency stop plunger and quickly walk to the other end of the platform
• Unless you're some NBA star, don't try climbing up the platform as it is 1.5m high
• Unless you are Usain Bolt, don't try to outrun the train travelling at 30km/h while running at 5km/h on extremely rocky terrain. You're likely not to make it to the other end in time.
• Unless your friend is Superman, don't get your friend (or any other person) to pull you up the platform as you will most likely pull him/her into the track with you
• Unless you are Superman, don't think that lying flat on the track and letting the train roll right over you will do the trick. It would not. You will just get cut into many pieces.
• Unless you are Magneto (X-men), don't try to run to the railings opposite of the platform as a current of 750V DC (direct current) passes through it. You are also likely to fall through the large gaps between the railings.
• If there is an incoming train, your best bet is to hide under the tip of the platform (where there is a small space) and wait for rescue

  

  See the space just under the tip of the platform?
  Credits: singaporesnapshots.com

Credits: mof.gov.sg

So, until all the platform barriers are erected in all of the stations, it pays to take note of these tips as you never know when you need it =)

If you're like me and don't know this, well, now you do *laughs*

Time To Go Potty!

As you may know, I conduct research among children with cancer. In one of my questionnaires, there is a question asking parents to state the age, in months, that their child was toilet trained. From their responses, it seems like the average age children are toilet trained is approximately 28 months. This seems to be consistent with my observations of most parents. Personally, I was hoping to get her trained by the time she's 15-18 months old.

So you can imagine my surprise when my mother-in-law told me, when baby J was just 6 months old, that it was time for baby J to learn how to go potty. As baby J hadn't been able to poop for three days in a row, the mother-in-law thought it could be because her diapers were hindering her. I asked her if it was too early. She swore that she got all her three sons toilet-trained even before they could walk. Especially her youngest son, who was able to pee and poop at the same time everyday at just 1 month old. All she needed to do was plop him on the 'tam pui' (potty as she calls it) and he'll go.

I was of course impressed. If my baby could be trained earlier, isn't that better? So after our conversation that morning, mother-in-law plop baby J on the potty for the first time.

Baby J's toilet training in process..

Initially baby J didn't know what the heck was going on. I must say mother-in-law was very patient. She sat for almost half an hour with baby J, making the 'urrrggghh' sound (the same sound when you are trying to get you-know-what out of you). Baby J grew more and more impatient as she just couldn't you-know-what but mother-in-law was persistent. She continued and baby J obliged unwillingly. Even father-in-law pitied her and thought it was too early but mother-in-law was determined. She had no doubt it would work.
Then, after what seemed like forever, baby J went. She pooped in her potty for the first time!

It worked!

Basically had the same reaction.
(Credits: babyblues.com)

Mother-in-law was all, "see I told you so." I was amazed and ecstatic! Baby J was happy and satisfied. We heaped tons of praises on her.

Now she poops in her potty everyday. She even pees there sometimes too. We only use three diapers (sometimes two) a day. I know you don't believe it but I swear it's true.

I think the key to successful toilet training is not just patience. It's doing it early! Why? Because at this age, they can't walk, so they can't walk away. They can't talk, so they can't argue with you. They haven't developed a 'bond' with the diaper, so they are not 'sticky' to it yet. Perfect!

So go ahead and try it! Hopefully it will work for you too.

Let me know how it goes =)

The Necessary Evil

Do you recognise this famous walkway that is always used as the location for shooting hospital scenes in Mediacorp TV dramas?

Credits: Wikimedia.org

Well it's actually not a hospital per se but a bridge on the second floor that links the Health Promotion Board (HPB) building on the left to the National Dental Centre (NDC) on the right. Many people (even cabbies) also do not realise that the HPB building actually houses the Outram Polyclinic at the 2nd floor as well.

And so it was on the 1st day of Feb, the baby and I made our way to this place for our visits to the doctors. Yup 'our'. Mother-in-law took baby to the left, to the left, for her usual vaccination and I went to the right for my dental appointment.

It was a day of dread for both of us. Well baby didn't know, but when she slowly realised what was happening, the dread spread across her face like wild fire.

It is like what I always say, a necessary evil. You hate it but you still gotta grit your teeth and do it for your own damn good. Much like labour, come to think about it.

Back to my baby's vaccination. The moment she was positioned in the grandma-holds-leg-real-tight-with-fleshy-thighs-exposed-to-nice-lady-with-long-transparent-stick pose, she started struggling and yelling. "Get me out of here mummy, pleaaaseee!" was what I think she said. Then she looked at me with the most pitiful eyes I have ever seen.

I chanted under my breath, "necessary evil, necessary evil..."

Then it was my turn to see the dentist for the 2nd time since I took off my braces way back in 2003. The 1st was 3 weeks after I gave birth. My concerned mother was worried for me and the condition of my bad gums. She insisted that both the sister and I visit the dentist asap. She even made the appointment for us so we had absolutely no excuse whatsoever.

I had been postponing it for the last 7 years. From as young as I can remember (which is really young) I HATE going to the dentist. They prod and poke and nag about how you have to brush after every meal (and I eat like 5 times a day, which meant brushing 7 times a day - seemed ridiculous to me!) Anyway, I had this warp idea that bad gums was inherited and there was nothing I could do about it.

But something about giving birth and being a mother that changed my whole outlook to dentistry. During my visit to the dentist, they warned me that if I don't start flossing, I'm going to lose my teeth. I don't know why, but this time I took it very seriously. For the first time in my life (and I kid you not) I started flossing every night before I sleep. I think maybe it's the mother instinct kicking in. You know the familiar, "it's ok if I die, but now that I have a baby I cannot die cos she needs me" instinct.

So anyway my gum problem was real serious. It was way more serious than the common Gingivitis. I had something called Periodontitis, which meant the accumulation of plaque and bacteria has caused the gums to be inflammed and the bone that holds my teeth to literally disintegrate.

Credits: oakridgefamilydental.com

Healthy gums are not supposed to 'peel' away from the tooth, so there should NOT be a pocket (seen in the picture above). At the most the pocket should only be 3mm deep but some of mine were 6-7mm deep. Yup, it's bad.

So anyway, the dentist recommended me for deep cleaning and surgery, which entails pulling back the gums and thoroughly cleaning the teeth on the inside and then patching the gums back (under anesthesia of course!). She also said I may have to have surgery to replace some of the bone that was loss too. After all the treatment, I should be able to get a nice set of gums, for the first time in my life actually. Haha.

Will let you know how it all goes in June this year (which is my next earliest appointment).

So to make sure baby J does NOT have to go through the same thing I now have to go through, I already found her a dentist and will start bringing her to see him when she turns 1 years old =). Better to be safe than sorry like me.

If you're not visiting your dentist regularly, you seriously should. Don't say I didn't warn you =)

Vomitus Galores

Brought baby J to Hot Tomato at 313@Somerset for lunch yesterday with my mum, sister, brother, brother's girlfriend, aunty and 2 cousins.

As we are now starting to introduce some pureed food to her, my mum fed her some hard boiled egg mixed with water.

Some of the earlier introduced food that she likes include pumpkin, papaya, carrots, certain vegetables, ikan bilis and bananas. Those she dislikes include avacado and tomato (both of which I don't like either). Genetic maybe? *shrugs*

So far, we discovered that eggs do not sit very well with her stomach. She kept 'complaining' to me about it but I thought she wanted to sleep so I rocked her to sleep. After some struggling, she did sleep for a while, only to wake up in a puddle of her own vomit.

Yup. In the middle of Orchard Road on the way from 313 Somerset to Paragon. Working quickly, my mum, sis and I started cleaning up as fast as we could while Baby J calmly looked on despite having just vomitted. We also quickly whisked her off to paragon's nursing room/toilet so that we could clean her up.

After cleaning her up, she kept pestering me to feed her. Since I was at the nursing room, I thought, "well hey I might as well do it here." Of course I didn't realise that her stomach hasn't really recovered and that she would vomit again. And on me this time. Sigh. Back to the nursing room/toilet to clean up.

Later we had desserts at Bakerzin while Baby J slept. When she awoke, once again she pestered me to feed her. It was back to the nursing room again.

This time however, she emerged happy and satisfied.